Seeing Emperor Tongzhi admitting his identity, Ito Hirobumi quickly straightened his appearance, knelt on the deck and bowed to the emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
"The common people of the lower country, Ito Hirobumi of the Choshu Domain, pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor of the upper country. Long live, long live, long live." After saying this, he kowtowed respectfully and saluted Emperor Tongzhi.
The Japanese nation, which has not experienced victory in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1894, has a natural awe for mainland civilization. Even though they call themselves "Emperor", they actually know how small and poor Japan is, and how much power the emperor has.
This kind of awe did not gradually change until after the victory of Sino-Japanese War. Now no one in Japan dares to disrespect the Qing emperor.
Emperor Tongzhi lowered his head and angrily scolded Ito Hirobumi, "Although you attacked our Qing Dynasty for problems with our governance at the beginning, you were well-founded and I can't tell you what you were talking about. But then why did you start talking nonsense, about foot wraps and menstrual blood? Is this what a gentleman can say?"
"If you don't cultivate your moral integrity and talk nonsense, you can be considered a scholar. If you do this, all your identities will be revoked."
Ito Hirobumi suddenly straightened his back, "Your Majesty." He said with aggrieved face, "When did the Foreign Minister start talking nonsense? This is actually true..."
"Nonsense, I'll beat you to death... How come I haven't heard of it. When did I ever do this kind of thing in Qing Dynasty?" Said Zai Chun and rushed forward to beat you again.
At this time, Xiao Letian said, "That's enough, what's the fuss about?" With a low growl, Zai Chun immediately backed away like a mouse seeing a cat, but he still felt aggrieved.
"Master...he scolded me."
Xiao Letian glared at him, "Ito Hirobumi is right. You don't know it's because the ministers below didn't tell you that the Qing army really did such a thing..."
"Needless to say, when Mailer led troops to attack Tanggu, he used dung soup and black dog blood, as well as toilets and foot wraps, and threw them into the trenches of our Marine Corps... Haha, I almost lost my brother at that time. They are sickened to death."
"Going a step further, during the Daoguang period, the British fleet attacked Guangzhou. Hunan Admiral Yang Fang was ordered to go to Guangzhou to assist Lin Zexu in resisting the British. As a result, he made a so-called toilet array, which was filled with feces and black dog blood footcloths. Thinking that turbid matter can break through the ocean, the result is of course self-evident..."
Zai Chun was dumbfounded. "I...why don't I know anything? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
Xiao Letian sneered and said, "Don't talk about you, those people dared to deceive even Emperor Daoguang. Yang Fang and Yishan were defeated again and again, but they continued to report victories to the court. They said they had won battles again and again, and then negotiated with the British privately. , what they bully is that the capital is beyond the reach of the capital, and what they are bullying is the lack of information..."
"That's not all. When Yang Fang was defending Zhejiang, he even asked soldiers to dress up like tigers and show off their power in front of the battlefield. That means tigers eating foreign (sheep) is really sad and deplorable..."
Zaichun is no longer the little emperor in the Forbidden City who has never seen the world. He has read thousands of books and traveled thousands of miles. He has carefully studied the natural science textbooks in the Ryukyu Western School many times.
Zai Chun, who had already enlightened, certainly knew which superstitious things were simply deceiving people. When he heard the ironclad facts, his face suddenly turned red.
"I...I, I...how could this happen..." Zai Chun stuttered in shame. For the sake of being embarrassed in front of the Japanese, the little emperor was already thinking about jumping into the sea.
Of course Xiao Letian knew Zai Chun's temper. This child was very high-spirited. Historically, he insisted on rebuilding the Old Summer Palace after taking office. He and his own mother were both stubborn. He was also a rebellious boy at heart. We must educate this kind of child.
"Zaichun, you don't have to be like this. Now the whole of Asia is slowly waking up in ignorance. This doesn't happen overnight. This requires the skill of terrazzo... In fact, look at what happened to Mr. Longma, and those white tiger boys. You will know that Japan is now far more ignorant than the Qing Dynasty..."
Zai Chun thought about it, people here have started to eat human flesh, and the level of ignorance can be imagined. Although it is a bit of a joke, but the mood is somewhat better.
After the shock was resolved, Zai Chun and Ito Hirobumi shook hands and had a pleasant conversation. Ito Hirobumi quickly said that he did not dare. Finally, Zai Chun rewarded him with a jade finger ring as an apology.
Ito Hirobumi never expected that he would be rewarded by the Qing Emperor. He was so excited that he quickly knelt down and kowtowed. From then on, this jade ring became an heirloom of the Ito family and was treasured for generations. Of course, this is all a story later.
In the cabin, Ryoma-kun's face gradually turned rosy, and the wounds on his body were sutured. Ito Hirobumi formally knelt in front of Xiao Letian to worship him.
Ito Hirobumi perfectly answered Xiao Letian's tricky question, which once again strengthened Xiao Letian's confidence in cultivating him as Ryoma-kun's deputy. Facing the complex and ever-changing situation in Japan, without such a flexible politician to take charge, sooner or later There will be chaos.
After setting up the tables and chairs, Xiao Letian taught Ito Hirobumi the first lesson. In fact, he also taught this lesson to everyone present: where is the biggest disease in Japan now.
"You just asked me where the real disease in Japan is. Now I can tell you clearly that Bushido succeeds and Bushido fails. You Japan will take advantage of Bushido, but of course you will also suffer a big loss."
Everyone was sitting upright, especially Ryoma-kun and Ito Hirobumi, who were so nervous that they didn't even dare to blink for fear of missing a word.
"Well, Japan is different from other countries in Asia. You have a very long military politics, while civilian politics have been suppressed for thousands of years. Since Minami Qingsheng opened the world of martial arts, civil and military disputes have run through the entire history of Japan... "
"In China, regardless of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, civil servants were the dominant political force most of the time. However, it is different in Japan. The samurai class ruled the country most of the time. This has formed a tradition..."
"So I can conclude that even if Japan succeeds in its reform, government restructuring and initial industrialization, it will eventually be taken away by the military family. This is not possible but certain."
Xiao Letian sighed, "Once the Wu family has an absolute advantage in the political situation, Japan will be full of aggression. Coupled with the huge power brought by the successful reform and industrialization, those arrogant warriors will become arrogant. , this is like a gambler who keeps winning at the gambling table. He will keep betting, and he will imagine that his luck will never decline..."
"There is only one end for such a madman, and that is to completely lose all his chips, and even lose his own life. Everything is just a dream..."
Hiss... everyone present took a breath of air. Sakamoto Ryoma trembled his lips and said, "No, will there be such serious consequences? It's impossible, absolutely impossible."
Only then could I see Ito Hirobumi's pragmatism and calmness. He nodded, "Master is right. I'm free to learn some Sinology. I also went to the UK to study, and I also have a little understanding of Asian and European politics..." "
"The Central Plains dynasty has been prosperous in civilian politics since ancient times. Although outsiders feel that the Central Plains people lack military skills and even feel a bit cowardly, during the thousands of years of history, barbarians have continued to invade the Central Plains civilization, but the Han civilization has rarely counterattacked. …”
"But what is very strange is that the territory controlled by the Han civilization is getting larger and larger. Although there will be ups and downs of hundreds or even hundreds of years in the middle, the overall trend remains unchanged..."
"Cowardice only expands its own territory. There must be a reason for this. Later, I thought about it carefully and I think the core reason lies in civilian politics... China has produced many outstanding politicians and strategists since ancient times."
Speaking of this, Xiao Letian immediately asked, "Oh, then let me ask you, what is the difference between politicians and politicians, and what is the difference between strategists and tacticians."
Under Xiao Letian's encouraging gaze, Hirobumi Ito blushed slightly, "I'm just saying it, and everyone is just listening to it... I personally think that strategists and politicians stand in a higher position and have a longer-term vision. They understand time and patience." The power of the people, they know what real negotiation and compromise are..."
"Yes, that's right. They understand the art of compromise and know how to retreat in order to advance. On the surface, you think he is cowardly, but in the end it is these people who take advantage..."
"The tacticians and politicians are much more short-sighted. They are more aggressive and pay more attention to practical interests. Once these people gain the upper hand, they will be unforgiving."
"From my point of view, 99% of Japan's samurai class are tacticians and politicians. Even if there are one or two real strategists and politicians occasionally... I don't think the final outcome will be too good."
With a snap, Xiao Letian clapped his hands together, "That's right. It seems that you have really put in a lot of effort. Civil and martial arts are like yin and yang. They must be in harmony and walk on two legs, right?"
"Occupying a piece of land, or getting actual benefits, is what a warrior should dare to do, but how to digest the meat in his mouth and turn it into his own flesh and blood depends on the literati's hard work..."
"Why is the Chinese nation constantly being attacked by barbarians, but its territory is steadily increasing, hahaha... Without clever politicians and strategists, that would be impossible."
"So, the core problem in Japan is that the warriors are too strong and the civil servants are too weak... Let me make another prediction. In the future, assassinations will become common in Japanese politics, and Ryoma-kun's experience will definitely be repeated..."
"Sooner or later, you will kill all the wise men in your nation, and the whole land will be so clean."
Hearing a pop, Ito Hirobumi fell to his knees with tears in his eyes, "Master, please give me some advice, Prime Minister, please teach me..." At this time, even Sakamoto Ryoma couldn't help it and struggled to salute Xiao Letian.
Xiao Letian held Long Majun firmly and sighed and said, "Don't be like this. Many things still require everyone to work together. As the saying goes, it is better to ask for others than to ask for yourself."
Note: Recently, many readers have insisted on giving me red envelopes in the group. I would like to reiterate here that I will not ask for any red envelopes given by people using QQ and WeChat, not even a single one.
When I write a book, I want to earn a normal subscription, because it is only natural to subscribe if you read the original version. However, I don’t encourage everyone to give extra money, because no one’s money comes from the strong wind.
Just subscribe to the main website. Reading a chapter costs 9 cents. I am willing to ask everyone for this money, and I feel more confident.
Just like eating in a restaurant, the subscription is the meal money, which everyone should give, while other red envelope rewards are tips. Why do many people don't pay for the meal, but have to tip directly? I really don't understand.
Okay, I’ll just update it today, because yesterday the main website subscription was only 3 yuan, and I already fainted in the toilet from crying. Let me go borrow a drink to drown my sorrows.
I'm so sad. It only costs 3 yuan a day to subscribe... I must be so bad at writing this book.
